The Queen’s representative for the county has said Gwent is ‘lucky’ to have its Cadet organisations and paid tribute to their success.

As Her Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant of Gwent, Brigadier Robert Aitken CBE CStJ held his annual Awards Ceremony last night at Raglan Barracks in Newport.

Cadet Company Sergeant Majors Jack Green and Rhys Lewis from the Newport and Monmouth Detachments of Gwent and Powys Army Cadet Force (ACF), along with Cadet Flight Sergeant Josephine Hurry from 2478 Abergavenny Squadron RAF Air Cadets were welcomed to the important role of Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadet for 2018.

“Don’t let anyone ever tell you that there’s anything wrong with the youth of today,” said Brigadier Aitken. “We have some fantastic young men and women in our Cadet organisations and that includes the Adult Volunteers and Cadets.

“We are lucky to have organisations like the Cadets here in Gwent that will provide a framework and opportunity for outstanding young people to be able to find their true potential.”

Over the next year, their new role will include accompanying the Lord-Lieutenant of Gwent at official engagements. The trio will experience significant involvement in Royal visits to the county and public parades, such as Remembrance events as Wales marks the 100th year since the end of the First World War.

At the same Awards Ceremony, the Lord-Lieutenant’s Cadets for 2017 were awarded with a Certificate and Badge to mark the end of their time in the role. They were Cadet Company Sergeant Major Jack Kavanagh and Cadet Colour Sergeant Taran Fitzgerald from Gwent and Powys ACF, as well as Cadet Warrant Officer Rhiannon James and Cadet Flight Sergeant Sarah Rose from No 1 Welsh Wing RAF Air Cadets.

The event was attended by over 50 people and the Lord-Lieutenant also paid tribute to the volunteers who give up their time to work with Cadets and help them gain life changing opportunities and qualifications.

Captain Christopher Gibbons, an employee with the Reserve Forces’ and Cadets’ Association (RFCA) for Wales, was awarded the Lord-Lieutenant’s Certificate of Meritorious Volunteer Service.

He said: “Having served more than 20 years as a Regular soldier in the Army, joining Gwent and Powys ACF in 1998 was a way to put my knowledge to use. I have been working with Cadets for the last 20 years and I’m really grateful it has enabled me to continue contributing to something positive.

“Former Service Personnel can really make a difference to the lives of young people through volunteer youth organisations like the Cadet organisations. Even if you’re a civilian with limited military knowledge, volunteers can also gain their own qualifications and transferable skills to boost their everyday lives.”

The award was also presented to Pilot Officer Matthew Riddell, the Officer in Charge at 2478 Abergavenny Squadron, to mark the achievements he’s made in four years of volunteering with future generations.

The event was organised by RFCA for Wales – an organisation that has supported the Armed Forces for over 100 years. To learn more about opportunities available, visit: www.Wales-RFCA.org or contact @RFCAforWales on Twitter.

Over 300 primary school pupils were joined by a team of RAF personnel at the National Museum in Cardiff who helped them to build rocket cars, try computer coding, make a parachute to safely land an egg and take part in a hot air balloon challenge.